It’s easy to lose track of your kitchen inventory. There are many things to keep track like expiration dates, quantity, and more. However, monitoring your pantry, fridge, and freezer inventory is a tedious and time-consuming task. Monitor your kitchen supplies to avoid food waste with these valuable tips and tricks.
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See Also
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- Deep Clean Kitchen Utensils after making your inventory list.
- Include Deep Cleaning Your Kitchen Countertops in your kitchen routine.
- A delicious way to use leftover ingredients, make Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars.
- Enjoy a Happy Stay At Home Life with these tips and tricks.
- Add creating an inventory list in your Best Planner.
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A kitchen pantry inventory list is very useful for home cooks and avoids food waste. It helps monitor all the produce, supplies, ingredients, and freezer meals in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Also, you can make sure you don’t run out of ingredients and supplies when you need them.
But making a kitchen inventory list on your own sounds difficult and time-consuming. You’ll need to check all the contents of your kitchen — including your pantry, cupboards, fridge, and freezer. List them all and add their details and amount.
Not all people have the time and energy to do a kitchen inventory list.
Here are tips on how to monitor the food items and supplies in your pantry, freezer, and fridge as quickly and easily as possible.
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Why keep track of your fridge and pantry inventory?
The benefit of a kitchen inventory is to save money and prevents food waste. But that’s not the only reason why you need to monitor your pantry inventory, here are a few:
- Proper meal planning: To make your weekly meal planning, create a grocery shopping list and check what ingredients you have in your kitchen. If you have a pantry inventory, it’ll be easier to plan your meals for the week and rotate food regularly.
- Keep track of your frozen meals like frozen sandwiches, pumpkin pie filling, etc.: Freezing food is a great way to extend the shelf life of various ingredients and dishes. However, you can’t freeze food forever. Monitor which frozen food needs to be consumed as soon as possible with a freezer inventory list.
- Prevent food expiration: Foods, ingredients, and produce have expiration dates. Prevent so much food from going to waste by making a pantry inventory list with the expiry date.
- Reduce the clutter in your pantry, freezer, and fridge: A proper food inventory list helps keep your kitchen, pantry, freezer, and fridge well organized. It saves you time and effort in searching for ingredients and foods.
- Reminds which food and ingredients are in your kitchen inventory: Grocery list and shopping are easier with a well-organized pantry inventory list. It also prevents duplicates and lowers your grocery bill.
How to make a pantry inventory list
To make a kitchen inventory list, check your pantry, kitchen counter, freezer, and fridge. These are the common places where you place and stock your food items.
Perishable items like cream cheese, string cheese, and fresh produce, can be placed in the fridge. While leftover food and meals that can be frozen should be in the freezer. For food items that can be stored at room temperature such as dry baking goods, place on the kitchen counter, pantry, or cupboards.
To make kitchen, pantry, refrigerator, and freezer inventory, list down the following:
- Food Items: What is the food?
- Food Quantity: How much of it do you still have?
- Expiry Date: Until when are they safe to eat?
- Location: Where are they placed — pantry, freezer, fridge, cupboards, or kitchen counter?
It’ll also make inventorying quicker and easier with other family members helping you.
Keeping track of your fridge, freezer, and pantry inventory: How to
Making an inventory list is tedious and time-consuming. However, there are ways to make it more convenient for all cooks and members of the family. Use these 3 methods for an easier and quicker kitchen inventory list!
1. Spreadsheet
Aside from writing down all the food, meals, and ingredients in your kitchen on random paper, it’s best to create a spreadsheet on your computer and print it out. Include the food staples you and your family usually consume and purchase.
When you’re done writing all ingredients and items on your spreadsheet, print it out and tape it to the pantry door. Whenever you get something from your kitchen, cross them out on the inventory checklist. It also helps make sure you have all the necessities stocked up.
2. Free kitchen inventory printables
If you don’t want to make your own spreadsheet, there are many free printable inventory lists available on the internet. They work the same as the spreadsheet, you just don’t need to make your own from scratch.
A free printable should have space for the foods, expiry dates, quantity, and location. Some free printable inventory lists might not have a space for location because they’re more specific. For example, a separate inventory list for the pantry, fridge, kitchen counter, or freezer inventory.
3. Phone applications
There are many phone applications that help you monitor all your kitchen stocks, supplies, and essentials. Each app has different features, benefits, and disadvantages.
Check each application and choose the best one you’re comfortable using and fits your preferences. You can use these apps as a digital inventory and make your grocery shopping easier and more convenient.
Tips and tricks for making a food inventory
It might sound daunting but making a kitchen inventory list is easier than it looks. Here are some useful tips to help your kitchen inventory process run smoother and life easier:
- The first time is always the hardest. Allocate a few hours to make your pantry inventory. It’ll take a while, especially if it’s the first time you’re doing it.
- Keep your pantry, fridge, freezer, and counters organized. To easily organize your freezer, place small random items, like butter, cream cheese, ice cream, etc., on the top mini drawer. Each homeowner and cook have their own way to keep their storage organized.
- Don’t rush and start when you’re ready. Make sure you’re fully rested before making your inventory. It’ll be more stressful if you start this project when you’re tired and want to rest.
- No need to be perfect. There’s no need to feel pressured and make a perfect kitchen inventory list. As long as it works for you and your family and kids and you can easily scan it, you’re good.
- There’s no need to do kitchen inventory every day. You only need to make kitchen inventory 2 to 4 times a year. It gives you plenty of time to use those foods and supplies near their expiration date.
When you list down and check the food, ingredients, supplies, and produce you have in your kitchen, you’ll save money and avoid the extra cost of purchasing duplicates. It also gives great ideas when you cook delicious dishes and meals for your family and kids.
There are many advantages of having your own inventory list. Whether you’re listing each item individually, meal planning, or taking stock of what’s in your freezer, an inventory checklist can help.
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